That new book moment

You spend forever working on a book, especially a walking guide. There’s so much to get right.

The text and maps have to be spot on. If not, there’s a chance somebody, somewhere, will go over a cliff (with your book in their pocket, or backpack).

So, the process of research, writing and, finally, editing takes your life over. Then, it stops and from there on in it becomes something that your publisher and the printer quietly get on with.

Out of sight, out of mind. Life flows on and, if you’re like me, last year’s all-consuming project is completely forgotten.

Then, one day, out of the blue, a little parcel arrives and makes your day. There’s something really special about a book of your own.

In this case, it’s a Pembrokeshire guide from the excellent publisher, Pocket Mountains. Doing the Pocket Mountains Ceredigion was a great experience, but giving the same time to my home county was really something special.

Spending a year walking, and photographing, landscapes that I’ve known for a lifetime was a particular pleasure. It involved lots of new finds as well as the joy of rediscovering ‘old friends’, locations I’d taken for granted for years but was able to see in new ways.

*You can buy Pembrokeshire: 40 Coast and Country Walks from Pocket Mountains at its online shop, £6.99 (including postage).